Conveyer.



W. J. TURNBULL.

GONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.4, 1910.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

BY WW W/TNESSES.

ATTORNEYS W. J. TURNBULL.

CONVEYER. APPLICATION FILED MAB-4, 1910.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

a slums-SHEET a.

INVENTOR WITNESSES.

u m N R w m RM m a W ATTORNEYS UNITED srA'TEs PATENT OFFICE.

WAM'IJ' J. rUnnBuL'n-or NEW omens, LOUISIANA.

Patented Nov. 8 1910.

Lpplicaflon filed larch 4, 1910. Serial [0. 547,279.

-Be' it known that I, WALTER 'J. TURN- BULL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of -Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers ofmhichthe following is a specification.

TlllS invention isan improvement in conveyers and has for an ob ect, among others,

to provide a novel construction of perpen-r dicular conve er which can be operated .efli ciently for ischargin cargoes from the hulls of vessels and w ich can be loweredfrom time to time as the cargo is discharged in'order that the conveyer may be supported by the cargo as the latter is lowered during the operation of unloading; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions'and combination of arts aswill be hereinafter described and aimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a conveyer embodying my inven tion as in use. 2 is a deta' perspective view of one of the tilting shelves and the bracket 'bars for supporting thesame. Fig.

3 a front elevation of the vertical con-' veyer, the horizontal conveyer being shown in section. Fi 4 is a cross section on about line 44 of 1g. 1. 5 is an elevation from the inner side-of a portion of the conveyer chain showing the slats, the connect,

ing links and the shafts carrying the wheels to operate in the track ways of the conveyer frame. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the slats. Fig. 7 1s a detail pers ective view of one of the solid-links use in connecting the slats. Fig. 8 is a detail per- 1; ctive view of one of the slats with one of til link sections illustrating the manner of introducing the sections of the sectional link into connection with the slat and Fig. 9 is-a detail sectional view of a portion of the conveyer chain.

The invention is especially desi ed .for

use in discharging ship cargoes, suc for'instance as are put up in bags, and the apparatus as shown, includes a conveyer frame aving track ways and sprocket wheels and an endless conveyer chain '0 out in connection with said frame an pro v ified with tilting shelves which on the ascendi rim of the chain carry the bags up from low and are tilted at a proper point to discharge the bags from the conveyer, preferably onto 'loadin lowere from time to time as will be-readily 'a laterally extending conveyor by which the bags may be carried to any desired point. It is proposed in practioe'tolower the perpendicular conveyer down in the hatch way A of the vessel by means of thehoisting mechanism .ordinarily employed on shipboard and which may include a boom B con- 1 nected in suitable manner, as for instance by a cableC with the conveyer frame, the latter havin a bull link at D or other means for facilitatmg the connection therewith of the hoisting means so the conveyer can be lowered from time to time as the cargo is discharged in order that its lower end may be, at all times approximately at the level of the cargo-in the hull so that as the unproceeds the conveyer .may be understood by those familiar with the operat-ion of unloading ships cargoes.

. The .conveyer frame is provided with the front and rear track ways E and F which may be alike and are preferably in the form oat channeled beamswhose channels E and a F operate as track ways for the rollers .G,

of the conveyer chai-nand these front and rear track'ways are connected by the bars H extending between the front and rear track ways on the same sides'of the machine and also by the'dia onal or strut brace bars I which connect t e front track. ways respec :tively with the rear: track ways at the op-,

posite sides of the machine, the said dia onal brace bars I being connected at their mlddle portions at I and ,,the' said rods Hand I 0 rating between the upper and lower ends 0 the frame to brace the track ways firmly in pbsition. As best shown in F1g.- 4 the track ways all have their channels opemng inwardly to receive the conveyer chain which operates within the conveyer frame and between the opposite track ways. At their lower ends the track ways at the same side of the machine are connected b side plates J which provide bearin at for the shaft of the lower 'sproc ets K and screws K operating upon the bearings J provide for adjusting the tension of the conveyor belt as may be necessar in the operation of the apparatus. 7 The ower sprocket wheels K are ldlers and serve to guide the conveyer chain at the lower end of the app t \11, l

At the upper end of the conveyor frame, I provide the drive sprocket wheels L whose too its

. having back plates N, end

shaft L may be suitably driven by any desired form of motor mechanism. In Flg. 3, I illustrate an electric motor M whose shaft is geared by bevel gears M I and M with the shaft L so-the said electric motormay be operated to drive the sprocket wheels L and the conveyer chain as may be desired in the operation of the invention. The conveyer chain has, as before described, the rollers or flanged wheels G which operate in the track ways of the frame and these rollers are also formed to fit the sprocket wheels K and L so that the same rollers operate to reduce friction in the track ways of the frame and in the engagement of the chain with the sprocket wheels with which the said chain cooperates.

'An important feature of my invention is .the construction of the conveyer chain whereby I secure at a minimum cost the. maximum simplicity and strength of structure and at the same time furnish a structure in which the several units are duplicates of each other and the parts can be conveniently detached: at any point to enable-convenient repairs in an inexpensive way. In carrying out such'feature of my invention, I form the chain with slats N v platesN and side plates N and the slats are arranged in operation with their plates N at their outer sides, thus providing a series of closed slats on the outer side of the conveyer chain throughout the length of said chain. The slats N are alike except that being made in pairs, one slat of each pair is provided in 1ts side plates N near its. ends with slots 0 to receive the solid links P while the other slat of each pair has in its side plates N near its ends openings 0' adapted to permit the passage from the inner side of the said plates N of the hooked ends Q of the sectional links Q so the-sectional hooked links may be inserted through the side plates N from the inner sides thereof and these links Q, are provided at one end with the hooks Q" to engage in the openings 1? at the ends of the links P and at their other ends the sections Q of the sectional link are providedwith eyes Q Which lap 'alon ide each other as best shown in Fig. 5 o the drawing and receive the axle rod R which extends through the slat and throu h the openings 0 in the ends thereof .an ro-' vide journal bearings for the rollers as will be understood from Fig. 5 of the drawings. In assembling the parts, it will'be noticed that by engaging the hooks Qof the sections Q in the o enings P of the links P,'which links P have central openings at 1 for the passage of'the axle rod R, the adjacent slats are connected in a sim le manner so they can be convenientl etached whenever desired. The slats being preferably of metal and pressed into supporting a be the desired form, furnish at the outer side of the chain a broad flat bearing surface at the outer side of the back plate N against which rests the rear ed e of the shelf S which shelf is supporte and operated in the manner more fully described hereinafter.

In supportin the shelf S I pivot it at a point S slight y nearer its front than its rear edge in order that the back of the shelf may overbalance the front and normally hold the shelf in the horizontal position shown above and below the trip ing rod U in Fi 1 on the upward run 0 the conveyer an the shelf is pivoted at S to a bracket carried by the conveyer chain and preferably by two adjoining slats.- In doing this, I form the brackets with lateral bars T and strut bars T pivoted at" their inner ends on the axle bars of adjoining slats as will toe understood from Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings and having at their outer ends coincident openings through which a pivot rod is passed and carried throu h perforated lugs S? on the shelf S as will 0 understood from Figs. 1 and 2 to pivot the shelves as desired. At their rear edges the shelves S are provided with upturned flanges S which in the horizontal position of the shelf S, as in use, rests flat against the backplate of the slat carrying the horizontal bracket arm T and holds the shelf firmly in its horizontal position as when as shown in Fig. 1. At its outer edge t e shelf is flanged downwardly to increase its strength and ri 'dity and in advance of the pivot lu S provide the shelf S with downwar ly and rearwardly deflected ears S which by engagement with the bracket bars T limit the t1lting movement of the shelves as bestshown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In operating, the cargo bags placed on the shelves, see Fig. 1, will be carried upwardly by the conveyer until the outer edges of the shelves engage with the trippin rod U suitably arranged and adapted to ti t the shelves as shown in Fig. 1 to discharge the bag therefrom on to an.inclined platform V by which they will be directed to the horizontal conveyer W whose chain may be of the construction heretofore described in connection with the vertical conveyer. Theplatform V is clamped to the hatch by the construction shown at 1 and 2 in Fig. 1'and including a clamp plate 1 and held to the latform V and arranged to bear against t e inner side of the hatch while the sliding clamp section 2 is curved to engage with the flange A of the hatch and may be secured in position by the screw 3 and thumb mil? as shown in Fig. 1. The tripping rod U may be adjustably secured by the clamping screw 13 sogmay be raised and lowered into the des1r position.

I claim:

1. A conveyer substantially as herein described, comprising a conveyer frame having track ways, sprocket wheels supported in said frame, a conveyer chain comprising a series of channeled slats having back plates arranged on the outer side of the chain and provided in their side plates with openings for the passage of links and in their end plates with openings for axle bars, rollers on said bars alongside the ends of the slats and adapted to operate in the track ways. of the frame and in connection with the sprocket wheels, solid links passed through the side plates of the alternated slats and having openings at their middles for their corresponding axle bars and-also having at their ends beyond the slats lateral opemn s and the intervening slats having their side plates provided with openings for -link sections and link sections having their outer ends hooked to engage with the solid links of the adjoining slats and having at their inner ends eyes lapping alongside each other and receiving thelr respective axle bars, brackets having lateral and strut bars carried by the axle bars of the adjoining slats, shelves pivoted to said brackets and having their rear portions overbalancing in weight their front portions and provided at their rear edges with up-turned flanges abutting the back plates of their respective slats, means on the shelves in advance of their pivots to engage with their brackets forlimiting the tilting movement of the shelves and means for automatically tilting the shelves to discharge the load therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of a series of channeled slats having side plates, solid links passed through the side plates of the alter-' 3. A chain comprising a series of hollow metallic slats open at one ed e and closed at the other edge and lin s extending through their respective slats and connecting the adjacent slats, the links being composed of sections with the meeting ends thereof connected together within their respective slats, substantially as set forth.

'4. The combination in a conveyer with the conveyer proper, of brackets having lateral and strut bars carried at their mner ends by the conveyer proper, shelves pivoted to said brackets and having in advance of their pivots downwardly projecting portions arranged to engage their respective strut bars and limit the tilting movement of the shelves, substantially as set forth.

5. A conveyer comprising a frame having channeled track ways, a chain having hollow pressed steel slats having spaced apart side plates and links extending through the spaced apart side plates of and connecting the said slats and provided with rollers operating in the channeled track ways. of the frame, substantially as set forth.

6. A chain comprising hollow metallic slats, links extending through their respective slats and connecting the adjacent slats, and bars extending longitudinally through their slats and through the links of said slats, substantially as set forth.

7. A chain comprising hollow metallic slats, links extending transversely through their respective slats and connecting the adjacent slats, axle bars extending longitudinally through their slats and through the links thereof and projecting at their ends beyond the ends of the slats and rollers on the ends of the axle bars, substantially as set forth.

8. A chain comprising a series of hollow metallic slats, links. extending transversely through their respective slats and connecting the adjacent slats, bars extending longitudinally throu ll the slats and through the links thereof an projecting beyond the ends of the slats, bracket bars connected with the projecting portions of the bars and shelves carried by the brackets, substantially as set forth.

9. A chain comprising hollow metallic slats having their slde plates provided with openings, solid links extending through the alternate slats and sectional links extending through the complementary slats and made in sections and having at their ends hooked portions for engagin wit-h the solid links of the alternate slats, su stantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a hollow metallic slat, of a sectional link having its sec tions extendin through the sides of the slat and.provi ed at their inner ends with eyes and a bar extending longitudinally through the slat and through the eyes of the link sections, substantially as set forth.

11. A chain comprising hollow metallic slats and sectional links extendin transversely through the slats with the ink sections of the same slat connected together therein and with the links of the adjacent slats connected together, substantially as set in the complementary slats and having their outer ends hooked to engage the links of the alternate slats, the inner ends of the sections of the sectional link being provided with eyes lapping alongside each. other, bars extending longitudinally through the alternate slats and through the links thereof and bars extending longitudinally through the complenientary slats and through the lappin' eyes of the link sections thereof, substantia y as 10 set forth.

WALTER J. TURNBULL.

Witnesses:

SoLoN O. KEMON, PERRY B. TURPIN. 

